Seven

"We don't steal from the rich and give to the poor.

We take back what was ours from the rich and return to the poor."


"Wow," whispered Kagome as she stared at the armory. "It's huge! Why can no one see this manor in the middle of the forest?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "They don't," he said confidently. "The Shikon shards create a barrier around it."

"Shikon shards?" questioned Kagome as she fingered a long white bow.

"Keh. You'll find out once we accept you. If we accept you, that is." Kagome rolled her eyes as she made her selection quickly.

"I'll choose this one," she said, holding up the bow. It was made of dark red wood, similar to her bow back home. The hanyou muttered something under his breath before swiftly exiting the armory. Kagome caught a glimpse of his red hakama before he disappeared from view, and she hurried after him.

They winded down endless corridors until Inuyasha shoved open a door, letting in brilliant sunlight. Kagome squinted through the light, trying to take in her surroundings. When her eyes adjusted to the brightness, she saw that she was standing in a large clearing. Behind her was nothing but open air. She could still see the hallway she'd come from, but its surroundings were invisible.

It seemed as if there was a barrier shielding the Merry Men's manor. Sitting on logs in the clearing were three figures. There was the Demon Slayer from before, a monk dressed in dark robes, and an extremely short child with a large, bushy tail.

They all stared at Kagome as if she were an alien specimen in a tank. She recognized the other two. The little boy was Foxfire, and the houshi was the Cursed Monk. Kagome shivered beneath their piercing stares. Inuyasha folded his arms and plopped onto a nearby log, shrugging off his red haori, revealing a white undershirt. The heat was sweltering.

"Alright," he said with a smirk that showed his fangs. "Show us what you've got."


Kikyo had been unsuccessful with her search for the traitor Koga. Now she sat in her high-backed chair, bored out of her mind. A servant girl offered her a glass of wine, and she readily took it, sipping the fine liquid. Letting out a satisfied sigh, she wiped her mouth. Damn that huntsman. No wonder he'd fled the castle with his love.

There was no way to find the couple, and Kikyo grudgingly accepted that. She could now focus on finding the Demon Dog and kill him and his Merry Men. When a servant showed her a letter with messy scrawl, the miko snatched it from her and quickly skimmed it. Upon finishing the words that described of another raid on a village by the Merry Men from a few days ago, Kikyo clenched her hand, crumpling the papers. Damn those infuriating outlaws!

That foolish group of people would dare give to the poor? The nerve! The poor were only good for labor. Her chest hummed. She reached inside her hakama and pulled out the Shikon no Tama –or rather, a few shards of the jewel. If the Merry Men tried attacking Nottingham, they would surely aim for the shards.

After all, besides money and other valuable objects, priceless and guarded shards had been stolen in the raids. Kikyo, being a miko, knew of the shards' powers and how powerful they would be if the Merry Men succeeded in gathering all of the shards.

She eyed the glittering pieces sitting in the tiny container strung on a chain that looped around her neck. Power of unimaginable level would be granted to whoever completed the full Shikon jewel.

Which was exactly why she would kill the Merry Men before they took her shards. Her cackle echoed through Nottingham castle, and unbeknownst to her, Kikyo's shards were slowly turning into an inky black.

The mirror sitting on the table beside her glinted, and an inaudible hum was emitted from it. Naraku approved.


Yay another update! Let me know what you think about the turn of events! Oh, I want an honest opinion. Should I continue writing drabble-ish chapters or should they be long? A special thank you to all those who reviewed! You know who you are, I'm giving you a virtual hug.